Improvement in wagon-racks



4 Sheets- Sheet 1.

W. T. BURROWS.

Wagon-Rack.

No. 217,266. Patented July 8, I879.

m s'sEs I W jg 'dLz/M,

ATTORNEYS.

N.PETE.RS, PHOTdLHHOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON D C 4 Sheets-Sheet3.

W. T. BURWRO WS. Wagon-Rack,

Patent-dJuly s, .1879.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

4 Sheets-Sheet '4.

W. T. BURROWS. Wagon-Rack.

No. 217,266. Patented July 8, 1879.,

WITNESSES INVEJV'TOR.

ATTORNEYS Nv PETEns, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON n c,

UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. BURROWS, OF NASHUA, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WAGON-RACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,266, dated uly 8, 1879; application filed December 7, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. BURROWS, of Nashua, in the county of Chickasaw and State of Iowa, have invented a new andvaluable Improvement in Wagon Racks and Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the l construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of an end elevation of the hay-rack, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 31s an end elevation of the hog-rack; Fig. 4, a perspective detail view of the same. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the box-body; Figs. 6 and 7, detail views of same. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the wood-rack, and Fig. 9 a perspective view of the an gle-iron and bolt.

My invention relates to a wagon-rack of such construction that by employing interchangeable independent pieces and parts, a hay-rack, hog-rack, wood-rack, or box-body. may be formed at will; and the novelty consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will be more-fully hereinafter set forth.

My invention is designed as an improvement upon my Patent No. 205,835, of July 9, 1878; and the improved features are as follows:

First, the curved sides have the lower longitudinal bar upon the outside when used as a hay-rack, allowing more room, and upon the inside when used as a hog-rack, to prevent the swine from rooting it off. Two of the curved standards upon each side have downward .extensions with perforated extremities. When used as a hog-rack this construction allows the sides to be raised until the perforations correspond wit-h perforations in the cross-bars, when a pin inserted through both holds the hograck up, giving a greater amount of room.

Second, in two side-boards having beveled shoulders at each end, as shown, and jawclamps near their centers. These boards serve as side-boards in the hog-rack, the jaws resting upon the side-bars or bed-pieces of the body, and as extension-sides in a box-body,

the jaws engaging thesides of the box.

Third, in end-gates to the hog-racks, which operate in connection with the angle-irons below, and with the removable side-boards, and at the top are provided with shoulders, which receive the upper bars of the side racks and hold them firmly in place.

Fourth, in a front standard for the hay-rack. It consists in a rock-shaft removably pivoted to the lower bar of the curved sides, upon which shaft are rigidly secured two cross-standards, with apertures near their lower extremities, which receive pins or lugs stationary on the bed-pieces. This construction allows the standard to be folded in when not in use, and prevents it from rising when a binding-pole is employed.

The remaining features of my invention involve the angleirons which hold the frame together and receive the interchangeable devices, and also the securing-rod, the construction and operation of which will be obvious from the following description and the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the bed-pieces or parallel side pieces, and A the cross-bars, which are secured to the bed-pieces by means of angle-irons O O, which lie against the inner and top sides of the bed-pieces.

The arms of these angle-irons extend. beyond the bed piece, and have in them slots or sockets c c, as shown, the one on the vertical arm receiving the cross-bar A, and the one 011 horizontal arm receiving either of the interchangeable devices hereinafter described.

0 0 represent bolts, which pass diagonally through the bed-piece and through the angle of the angleirons O, and are secured by nuts, as shown. The lower end of each bolt is formed with a rectangular socket, c and a right-angled hook, 0 The hook receives the end of the cross-bar A having recess a, and

the socket is arranged below the slots 0 c in a right line, and receives the lower extremities of the interchangeable devices mentioned. The cross-bars A and bed-pieces A, being sccured together by the angle-iron O and bolt C, form a body, which rests on the bolsters (between the stanchions) of any proper wagon running-gear.

I prefer to arrange the bolts 0 in such a manner that the hooks 0 will extend outward in each direction from the center of the bedpiece; but this is not material, and maybe changed without departing from the principle of my invention.

For convenience, and to make my invention perfectly clear, I will now proceed to describe my inventionas a hay-rack.

E represents curved standards, connected by horizontal slats, the lower one of which, E is arranged on the outer surface of the standards E, the others, E upon the upper or inner sides. The front end of the slat E is provided with a perforation to receive the gudgeon of a rockshaft, F, upon which are rigidly secured two standards, F, the lower ends of which are perforated to receive pins f upon the forward ends of the bed-pieces. When not in use this front standard folds back into the hay-rack, and when in use with a bimling-pole the engagement of the pinsfprevents the raising of or strain upon the rack. A screw acts as one of the gudgeons, as shown.

The curved standards E are provided at their lower extremities with tenons e and shoulders 0 the latter adapted to rest upon the extended ends of the cross-bars A, and the latter to operate in the sockets a of the bolt 0. Two or more of these standards E have extended tenons 0 with perforations near the ends thereof.

The angle-irons U have upon one of the inner or hearing faces of the arms sharp lugs 0 which serve to hold the iron securely in position upon the bed-piece.

I will now reverse the curved side pieces, having them curve inward to form a hog-rack. In this case the tenons go only far enough into the sockets for the perforations in the tenons e to register with perforations in the ends of the cross-bars A, when apin is inserted through both. A loose board, G, havingjaw-clamps g at or near the center thereof, is then placed against the inner side of the curved standards, and the upper surface or edge of this board G furnishes a bearing for a block fixed upon the standards, as shown.

H represents the end-gate, having a lower beveled portion, h, which engages in the slots 0 in the horizontal arms of the angle-irons, and right-angled recesses 71/, which receive the upper slat of each side. A pin upon one of these slats upon each side, passing down outside the gate, holds it firmly in place.

In my box-body the headboard I has tenons 'i, which operate in the sockets 0 c, and a guide,

and 70 7c in the tail-board operate in proper holes in the bottom.

If it is desired to increase the capacity of the box for carrying corn and the like, the loose boards G are placedupon the sides J, the jaws g embracing the same, and a separate tailboard, as, is introduced, the whole being secured together by a rod and nut, 00, as shown.

To convert the device into a wood-rack, the stanchions L are introduced into the sockets, as shown.

It will thus be seen that by interchanging the parts with the base I can construct the four devices mentioned.

The hook 0 1's higher than the socketc, and it engages in a notch, a, in the cross-bars, as shown.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The removable and interchangeable curved standards E, having the horizontal slats E upon the concave side, and slats E upon the convex side, said standards being provided with tenons e and shoulders e and extended tenons c constructed and adapted to serve, relatively to the angle-irons G and bolt 0, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The gates H, having beveled tenon hand right-angled recess h, in combination with-the curved sides and wit-h the angle-irons, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the removable rockshaft F, perforated standards F, horizontal slat E and pins f upon the base, as and for the purpose setforth.

4. The angle-iron 0, having sockets c, and bolt 0, having socket c and hookc in combination with the bedpiece A, cross-bars A, and with the interchangeable devices described, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have,

hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

WM. T. BURROWS. Witnesses:

WM. S. FLEMING, AARON Donen. 

